And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him,“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
– Luke 19:5
Text: Luke 19:1-10, Genesis 18:1-10, Genesis 19:1-11
Day 10- Just from the title, I can tell that todays lesson will be a challenge!
The author points out that we are a culture that has put in place nearly impossible standards for our hosts and ourselves. Birthday parties must be perfect, even dinners need to be Instagram-ready.
What we’ve lost in the perfection is the comfort and companionship that comes with being with another person in their mess. It’s time we make relationships more of a priority than the homes they take place in.
Guests are revered in the Bible. We see in today’s text ,Genesis 19, that Lot attempts to protect his angelic guests by welcoming them at any cost.
In Luke 19, we see Zacchaeus, amid all his flaws, as the perfect host. No excuses, no rushing ahead to clean, no rescheduling. He climbed down and took Jesus to his home.
Todays lesson can be summed up by simply saying, “Hospitality is rarely convenient. We must be willing to interrupt the lives of others and be interrupted in our own to truly experience hospitality as Jesus practiced.”
Jesus boldly asked to be Zacchaeus’ guest, regardless of what others would think about Him. He knew the message this would convey to Zacchaeus – “I care about you, I want to spend time with you.” How often do we do this with our friends? Someone in your life may need you to push the boundary before they let you into their home.
Jesus and Zacchaeus exemplify hospitality -bold asking, and enthused acceptance. As we look at our relationships with others, let us ask ourselves, where can we step into one of these roles – asking or accepting- and allow others to see our mess? Where can we take part in another’s real life? What are we missing out on if we are not willing to do so?